Students groups slam ‘red-tagging’

Subject: Students groups slam ‘red-tagging’ March 10th 2009, 4:06 pm

Students groups slam ‘red-tagging’

By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:58:00 02/26/2009

MANILA, Philippines -- Youth groups in the Southern Tagalog region condemned what they called an “intensified demonization campaign” against youth activists, some of whom have been openly tagged communists.

In a joint statement on Thursday, the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP)-Southern Tagalog, Anakbayan-ST, and Samahan ng Kabataan para sa Bayan (SAKBAYAN) said a group identified as SAY ACT (Save the Youth Against Communism and Terrorism) had circulated statements that labeled some activist youth leaders members of the Communist Part of the Philippines.

The statements were allegedly distributed on Tuesday, at the height of the student council elections at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, the groups said.

Among those tagged communists were University Student Council (USC) chairperson and Youth Act Now-Southern Tagalog spokesperson Charisse Bañez; former USC chair and SAKBAYAN chairman Leo Fuentes; UPLB Perspective editor-in-chief Christian Ray Buendia; SAKBAYAN standard bearer Pamela Angelie Pangahas; and NUSP-ST deputy secretary general Rayan Brozula.

SAY ACT also allegedly distributed copies of another statement last February 1 at the Regional Youth Summit, which detailed how progressive student organizations allegedly recruit students to become members of the New People’s Army. The group also urged school administrations to stop sending students to activities of the NUSP, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, and other progressive organizations.

“We are student leaders merely serving our duty to uphold and protect the rights of the students and the people who are supporting our education. Calling us communists because we are exercising our right to freedom of expression and our right to dissent is a desperate and under-handed tactic to discredit us,” Banez said.

Last week, a statement was also released by another group, identified as the UPLB Student Movement Against Communism, tagging SAKBAYAN as a communist party.

SAKBAYAN is an alliance of 54 organizations opposed to the commercialization of education, which has also involved itself in various issues in and outside of the campus.

“The heightened red-tagging and campus repression comes at a time when students are actively campaigning against the increase in tuition, massive corruption, and are widely calling for Arroyo’s ouster. It also comes at a time when the national elections is nearing and the Arroyo camp is seeking to silence the discontent of the youth against her administration in a desperate attempt to cleanse the name of the upcoming administration candidates,” John Paulo Bautista, ANAKBAYAN-Southern Tagalog chairman, said.

NUSP national secretary general Henrie Enaje said the labeled groups intend to file cases against the groups that have labeled them and are also seeking a dialogue with Chief Justice Reynato Puno to seek his advice on the legal remedies available to the student groups concerned.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20090226-191199/Students-groups-slam-red-tagging

Subject: Re: Students groups slam ‘red-tagging’ March 10th 2009, 4:23 pm

Hay nako... hindi na sila nasanay... ang Militar natin mana sa mga Kano na ang lahat ng lumalaban sa Gobyerno nila ay kung hindi Communist ay Terrorist...

Pero anong problema naman kung Communist sila... bawal ba ang pagiging communist... o bawal lang ang Arm Struggle... ginugulo lang ng militar ang utak ng mga tao...

Subject: Re: Students groups slam ‘red-tagging’ March 11th 2009, 9:24 am

masanay?

what a term naman yan kuya... so.. so.. so.. very D.....

its the youth po.. the youth that can make a change.

mga mumunting tinig...

but havent dig yet so far what those tagged persons are writing.. or stating.. or implying...

militar???

martial law na ba uli??? di ko naman alam ano martial law. unang pumasok sa isip ko.. ang alam ko lang, meron curfew..

Subject: Re: Students groups slam ‘red-tagging’ March 11th 2009, 12:12 pm

Mga pakawala ng Militar ang nagkakalat ng mga name branding na iyan.

Masanay na sila at hindi pa sila ipinapanganak ay ganyan na ang ginagawa sa kanila... ipagpatuloy na lang nila ang kabilang mga ginagawa... kung magpapaapekto sila sa mga lapdog na iyan siguradong walang mangyayari lalo sa kanila... at isa pa nga ano namang masama kung maging kumunista sila... sa ibang bansa nga at kahit sa USA ang mga kumunista ay above ground at hindi underground at hindi rin nagkukubli ng kanilang totoong kulay...

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